Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “thing” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,149
- “then” frequency rank
- #18,088
- “thing” frequency rank
- 35237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | thing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt | ein materielles Objekt, ohne Bewusstsein |
Where the eye mixes then and thing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: then vs thing
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is [ðɛn] while thing is [θɪŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #17,149, classified as anadv, pronounced [ðɛn]. thing is at rank #18,088, tagged as anoun, pronounced [θɪŋ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 35237, this pair ranks #1,644,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of then vs thing
Shared letters: hnt. Private to "then": e. Private to "thing": gi.
"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "thing" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "then" and "thing" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "then" or "thing" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "then" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "thing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,644,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "then" and "thing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "thing vs tine". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,644,728 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.